GoBus engineers bring historic London Dennis Dart back to life for London Transport Museum

GoBus engineers bring historic London Dennis Dart back to life for London Transport Museum

GoBus has helped restore Dennis Dart DLM 150 (X667 LLX), which was formally handed over from Metroline to the London Transport Museum at Acton on Saturday 26 September.

DLM 150 is a 2000 Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer bodywork. It was one of Metroline's short-wheelbase Darts and was originally branded for route PB1, the Potters Bar town service in Hertfordshire. After its time in passenger service, DLM 150 found a second career educating young Londoners. It was transferred to the London Transport Museum depot in Acton as a TfL Safety & Citizenship bus, carrying the name Learning Bus L2. The Dennis Dart was one of the most familiar sights on London's streets through the 1990s and 2000s, and DLM 150 now becomes a permanent part of that story in the Museum's collection.

The Dart arrived at GoBus's Swanley depot from storage as a non-running vehicle. Engineers at The Bus Doctor, GoBus's commercial workshop, carried out a full restoration of the underside and chassis. They completed all the work needed to take it from off the road to fully operational and ready for its Class 6 MOT. The bus then moved on for bodywork restoration ahead of its handover.

The project suits Swanley well. The depot celebrated its centenary in August 2025 and has a long history of keeping buses on the road. The same team that maintains GoBus's modern fleet, including its electric buses, brought traditional heavy engineering skills to this job.

GoBus are proud to have played our part in giving DLM 150 a new lease of life. It has already served its community twice, first carrying passengers in Potters Bar and then teaching young people how to travel safely. The engineers at Swanley took it from a vehicle that couldn't move under its own power to one that's fully roadworthy, and that's a real credit to their skill. We're delighted to have worked with the London Transport Museum on this project.

The Bus Doctor offers maintenance, repair and restoration services to other operators and vehicle owners from GoBus's Swanley depot.